never enough
by kagehinaonice
Summary: Soulmate/Coffee Shop AU. Any ink you draw on yourself is drawn on your soulmate. Yuuri is a college drop-out, Viktor is a soon-to-be retiring model. Life isn't quite going to plan.
1. Chapter 1

Two years of coffee-stained overalls. Two years of familiar faces, day-in day-out, yet still complete strangers. Two years since Yuuri had dropped out of college. Two years since Yuuri had wrecked his life. Five years away from his family, to avoid their pitying looks, their disappointment. Two years in the same minimum wage job: taking orders and making coffee. It was simple, he had a routine. He would start work at eight every morning, finishing at four, when Chris tookover for the evening shift. Five years of broken English. He should never have come to Detroit. Five years and nothing to show for it.

Yuuri had wanted to help people. His family, his friends back in Japan had told him he could do it. If he could make people happy, he would. Even if it didn't pay too well. Go into social work, help families, make things better. How disappointed would his parents be now. Yuuri had always TV thought it was an achievable goal. Not aspiring too high so he wouldn't end up disappointed himself. He'd been wrong. The first couple of years at college had been okay. He'd been recommended to the college councillor, who had recommended he join a club. He had, at the local ice-rink. He'd even made a good friend. He was even up-to-date date on his coursework. But not for long. When his best friend moved back to Thailand, it got worse. Phichit had gone to practice in his own country, he was going to be professional. And Yuuri knew he was going to go far, unlike himself. Working past deadlines. He wasn't going to make it. He knew. He knew his parents would be disappointed.

His hands shook. This couldn't be happening now, not while he was pouring coffee creamer. He'd been tired, he'd barely slept last night. He'd barely had any uninterrupted sleep in years, between college and working and the fear of failure. The fear had been what brought him down the most. Fear that stopped him attending college in the second semester of his final year. That stopped him going home. Afraid of the disappointment on their faces. He couldn't think about this now, there were only ten minutes till Christophe came in from this shift. There was still work to do. A smudge of strange symbols appearing on his hand as he hands the cup over to the customer. Not again. For about four years his soulmate had been trying to speak to him. Barely anything before then, sometimes numbers, times for things, weird letters he doesn't understand. Great, his soulmate didn't even speak the same language. He'd never really bothered to find out about his soulmate, they were just another person who expected a lot of you and you were sure to disappoint them. Finally, the bell rings and Christophe winks as Yuuri takes off his apron. Finally, he can go home.

It's not much. There's a bed and a couch and a restroom with a shower, a kitchen with a microwave, stove and oven. It's nothing like home but it gets the job done. Wages pay the rent, for food and for bills. It's not luxurious in the least, but it does it's job. A few books scattered around. College books he couldn't bare to get rid of, a few Japanese to English dictionaries. Sometimes his parents call, they know he doesn't go to college now, but he still won't see them face to face. Sometimes Phichit video calls him too. Phichit had taught him some basic Thai. Yuuri has never responded to his soulmate. Not that he had anything comprehensible to respond to. He splashes water over it and smudges it before sighing and laying down on his bed. He hadn't even checked the message.

A simple 'Hello?'


	2. Chapter 2

Viktor groaned, resting his head against the window. Four years he'd actively tried to talk to his soulmate. Messages on his skin; his name, his address, his hobbies. Each one meeting the same fate, the grey smudge across his hand. It had been there less than an hour and it was gone. The clouds outside were colourless white. Apparently they were flying across the Atlantic Ocean.

The first time Viktor realised he had a soulmate, he was seven. His parents were soulmates. There were kids in school who had found their soulmates. It all seemed like such a big deal. The first time he noticed, there were random lines of blacks and reds and blues and greens and browns and yellows. Viktor hadn't used felt tips since the day before. They were real. His soulmate was real. He tried to tall to to them, but all he got back were squiggles, nonsense. As he got older, the words turned to clearer symbols that he couldn't understand. It turned into thin black ink, precise, on his hands rest and arms. At least he could tell it wasn't Russian or English. Chinese? Japanese? Thai? It could have been anything. Sometimes a number in English. A time? Maybe a date? He promised himself he'd look into it. The idea of soulmates made him feel warm. Then he left school at fifteen.

Snapped up straight into modelling. Which meant being so busy, but these days his jobs were sometimes dwindling. He was getting older. He was still good looking. There were still lots of girls, and admittedly guys, swooning. He knew it. Not to let it get to his head. Sure Viktor had been with other people before. Girlfriends brothers, one-night stands, flings. He was young, it had gotten him into a lit of trouble with his manager. He was not meant to be irresponsible, he had a public image but that wasn't the point. Was it really cheating on your soulmate if you would never meet them again and they wouldn't acknowledge you? He was torn between giving up hope, and what he wanted. Someone made just for him.

Nobody understood soulmates, they were just a thing, like air. They'd been around longer than anyone could remember. Viktor sighed and looked back at his hand.

"Your not still moping around about that are you?" Yuri moans, resting his face on his fist. "Get the fuck over it."

"Watch your language." Viktor reprimands and smiles, "I am not moping, also there is more to life than being a moody teenager."

Once they arrived at Delta County airport, Viktor would be staying in Michigan and Yuri would be travelling to new York. Despite his attitude, having met Yuri six months ago, he failed to see him as anything but a little kitten in need of protecting.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of his alarm ringing woke Yuuri up. The blaring ring continued for a few minutes before he finally picked up his phone to switch it off. Six thirty. It was Monday. Usually on Mondays Leo would join him at the lunch-time shift when things got busy due to college students and adults grabbing their coffee before heading back to work. But Leo had taken time off to study for his exams. Chris would be covering his shift instead. Yuuri groaned. It's not that he didn't like Christophe , he was a good guy but he had the tenancy to flirt with every customer. Sometimes even Yuuri. He was pretty sure Chris would flirt with anything that moved. He'd worked with Christophe quite often as he had been working their longer than Yuuri had, and was only two years older. Finally, Yuuri sat up and rubbed his face. Get up, go to work, come home, sleep. The routine.

Customs and security was a nightmare but they were used to it. Not that that stopped it from being unbelievably annoying and inconvenient. It also didn't stop Yuri from whining about it for a whole hour. Teenagers. Viktor had had twelve years experience of waiting in line, Yuri had only a couple of months. Eventually passing through customs was a blessing, baggage claim was not. It took forever, or it felt like it. Viktor had had to drag Yuri away from yelling at a lady who had his bag.

"This is what you get for leopard print, " Viktor chided. Taxis were even more of a nightmare.

Chris arrived fifteen minutes early to his shift, slipping on an apron. "Why the long face Yuuri, no cute customers?" He winks.

"Work is work, I guess." Yuuri looks up, "Here early to hit on customers?"

"You wound me." Chris looks mock crestfallen and puts his hand over his heart, "Actually, I'm here early because it's almost Winter, it's cold and you keep getting sad but still won't go home."

He's right, Yuuri thinks. Christmas and his birthday are coming up soon. "Not that that's any of your business..." Yuuri mutters.

"I'm saying this as a friend. You need to stop moping about what's happened in the past. You're family love you, they'll miss you, also cute customer at ten o'clock.

Yuuri sighed, as Chris put on on if his dazzling smiles and almost sing-songed some lame flattery about hair the silver of the moon. Had a line like that literally ever worked? Ever? Apparently, because the man was blushing.

"So, what will it be?" Chris crooned.

The man smiled, pushing his hair out his eyes and looking up at the menu. "Thank you. A... Soy chain tea latte. Please."

"And your name?" Chris asked, uncapping the marker.

"Viktor... With a K."

Yuuri eyed Chris and whispered, "I swear, you better not write Kictor. We are not going over the Cark incident." Chris winked and Yuuri as he scribbled on the cup before he passed it over.

Yuuri threw a paper cup at his head.


	4. Chapter 4

The pretty guy came in again. Yuuri didn't know when he'd started calling him the pretty guy. He'd come in every day for the last few weeks since that first day. Of course, he had a name. Viktor. Blue eyes and silver hair and an accent. But he was pretty. They'd exchanged polite words. He'd refrained from throwing anything more at Chris when it was evident pretty guy wasn't paying attention to Chris' advances, nor were they aggravating him. Luckily, Chris was only in when Leo wasn't working lunch. He knew Leo wouldn't try anything. And, thankfully, pretty guy seemed to had figured that out too.

It was kind of distracting working when he was there. It was probably because he was good looking, not that he would be so forward about it, he wasn't like Chris. He'd never really thought about people being good looking, he'd had a crush on his childhood best friend Yuko were teenagers. But that had been a long time ago. They'd become more invested in studies. She ran an ice-rink in Japan now, but Yuuri served coffee. To be fair, so did Chris, but he was a socialite. He didn't worry about people's constant opinions if him or what society was going to think. Yuuri wished he could be like that.

Everything was fine. There was the feeling something terrible was going to happen but it had been a while since that feeling hadn't been there. It wasn't too busy. And then Chris walked in. Chris wasn't working today. Why was Chris there? Whatever he was going to do it was going to be terrible. He could already feel it being a bad idea. Cancel the plan. Don't do it. Chris walked up to the counter and smiled, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Yuuri whispered loudly.

"I'm only here to help," Chris winked. Yuuri was so absorbed in being bewildered that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching. "Viktor!"

"Chris," the silver haired man nodded, slightly less enthusiastically.

"That's a nice jacket," he paused. "But I think it would look better on Yuuri's floor." Yuuri coughed and hid his face in his hands, feeling to blush creep up his neck. This was one if the worst ideas Chris had ever had.

"Are you hitting on me for Yuuri?" Viktor said, surprisingly unfazed.

"He's too shy, he's was taking too long. I'm only here to help, at your service," He patted Yuuri's shoulder and he looked up a little.

"You two know each other?" he asked quietly, face still red.

"Chris invited me out about a week back, as a friend. He talked a lot about you. Good things. I... Uh... Didn't feel brave enough to come talk to you alone myself..." This guy? Not brave enough? To talk to Yuuri. "It's nearly the end of your shift right?" Yuuri nodded, torn between gazing at the stranger and staring Chris down. "Well, yeah, Uh..." Viktor fetched a card out of his pocket, "This is my number. So... If you ever want to like, meet up or something, give me a call... Or a text if you feel uncomfortable. Or-"

"Okay."


	5. Chapter 5

Yuuri didn't call Viktor that night. He'd saved it to his phone, just in case. No doubt Chris had given Victor his number. Chris knew what Yuuri was like. A week had passed. Yuuri hadn't called all week, Viktor hadn't visited him at work. Chris probably knew that too. He probably knew a lot more than Yuuri would like to admit. It's not that he didn't want to call. Or even text. Did Viktor really want Yuuri to call him? Was he just being too nice. Nobody had given their number to Yuuri before. He didn't know whether he intended to call.

Which is probably why Chris cornered him after work the next Monday.

"You haven't called him." Not a question. "Don't tell me you don't like him, I know you're lying. I know you've only ever liked that girl from back home but it's time to get out there."

"How do you know about Yuuko?"

"Last Christmas party. You were drunk. You drank like eight glasses." Chris shakes his head fondly, "Call him."

"I don't... What if I just annoy him?" he mumbles.

"What if you stop the mentality that you annoy everyone and realise people like and care about you." Chris sighed, passing Yuuri his own phone. "What if you called him?"

Yuuri hadn't called. Chris had as good as promised this wasn't some unrequited crush on some guy or a one night thing. Yuuri hadn't called or texted all week. So Viktor hadn't messaged Yuuri, he didn't want to push him. He was alone in his apartment. The light on his phone flashes. Chris.

"Chris, hey."

"Viktor." Not Chris.

"Yuuri!" he says, shocked. "Yuuri." he repeats softer, "Hey."

"Yeah, hey. I was wondering if you were free tonight?" Viktor thrusts his hands in the air in celebration.

"Yeah, Sure, sure. Uh... is there anywhere you wanna go? What time?"

"I'm just finishing work for the day, any... anywhere really." Chris gives him an encouraging thumbs up. Yuuri his finger up at Chris. Just thought one.

Viktor wasn't over-dramatic. He just had nothing to wear. What would Yuuri think would look good? Yuuri was way out if his league wasn't he? Young and beautiful and shy? He didn't even know what Yuuri liked? Did Yuuri drink? What food did he like? Viktor's mind was yelling. He lied. Viktor was dramatic. He was also a mess. He'd never been so confused in his life. But Yuuri, finally, had called. He'd been getting worried. Was he too old, was he not going to be good enough.

He settled on his usual coat and scarf, even though it was warmer here than in Russia. He was going to pick Yuuri up from work. He was going to talk to Yuuri. He was going to get food with Yuuri. It was a date. An actual date. A date with Yuuri.

The sky was dark, with winter around the corner. Unfortunately the light pollution stopped the stars from showing, not as romantic as Viktor would have liked. Viktor, admittedly, was a sucker for romance. But this had to be good enough. He walked quietly. Minute after minute getting closer. And then he's there, stood under the street light.

Viktor cups his mouth, "YUURI!" he grins and waves.


End file.
